(Eagle News) — Davao Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Friday, Feb. 1, defended proposals to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 12.
“Huwag na mag-conclude na lahat ay mistake lamang dahil siya ay 12 years old, walang science sa conclusion na ito,” Duterte-Carpio said in a social media post.
According to the mayor, whether or not a 12-year-old committed a “mistake or a crime” was best determined by a “judge based on the facts of the case.”
Duterte-Carpio made the statement after Senator Risa Hontiveros called the proposals “immoral, unscientific and ineffective.”
“The real question we should ask ourselves is if it is even proper for government to place the burden of blame for criminal acts on minors used by adult criminals and who cannot even be expected to take care of themselves,” Hontiveros had said.
Hontiveros issued the statement after the House justice panel approved a proposal to lower the age of minimum criminal responsibility to 12 years old, higher than the 9 years old originally proposed.
The House of Representatives has passed that bill on second reading.
In the Senate, there is a pending bill proposing the same minimum age of criminal responsibility.
